Scenic and Media Designer Bryce Cutler Announced As Winner Of The 2017 Rising Star Award

The Rising Star Award, established by LDI/LiveDesign magazine, is given annually to a young professional at the beginning of his or her career. The award recognizes excellence and artistic achievement in scenic, lighting, sound, projection design, and convergence of these design disciplines.

The Rising Star Award is presented to young professionals in the first four years of their careers after completing their highest academic degree.

Cutler received his BFA in Scenic & Media Design from Carnegie Mellon University in 2013. He is co-founder of Third Space, a political theatre collective.

His previous work has been seen at The Guthrie Theater, New York Stage and Film, The Folger Shakespeare Library, Abrons Arts Centre, HERE Arts, Arts@Renaissance, Incubator Arts and Playhouse on the Square. Previous designs include premieres by John Patrick Shanley, Dael Orlandersmith, and Grammy award winner Steve Mackey.

Cutler served as the art director for Comedy Central's @Midnight: NYC and his work has been published in the Contemporary Performance Almanac. He is the recipient of the Lloyd Weinger Award for Scenic Design and the 2015 ArtsImpulse Award for Best Projection Design for Jesus Christ Superstar.

"Bryce is as innovative and creative as he is professional," said director and choreographer Jordan Nichols. "Bryce has the ability to create a vivid and dynamic canvas for costumes, lights, actors, and choreography to work together harmoniously."

Cutler will be honored at the 57th Annual Conference & Stage Expo in St. Louis, March 8-11, 2017. The annual conference provides technical sessions, workshops, and discussions on topics from architecture, costume design & technology, engineering, rigging safety, lighting design & technology, stage management, scenic design & technology, sound design & technology, and technical production.

USITT, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, is a national non-profit association for the live entertainment production industry. It provides hands-on learning, mentorship, and networking opportunities for emerging and working professionals in the backstage arts. Its Annual Conference and Stage Expo is the only complete production event in North America, featuring over 250 training sessions and 280 exhibitors of the latest tools and resources for creating live entertainment. More information is available at usitt.org.